Miami voters back $450 million public safety bond in preliminary count
Unofficial results show 60.94% in favor of the police and fire facilities bond; certification is pending.
Key Takeaways
- •The preliminary count shows 58,288 votes for the bonds and 37,360 against.
- •The ballot calls for up to $450 million for police and fire facilities, payable from property taxes.
- •A separate proposal for an advisory bond oversight committee also led in the unofficial count.
Miami voters backed a $450 million public safety bond in Tuesday’s election, according to preliminary, unofficial Miami-Dade County results.
The county’s latest posted count showed 58,288 votes for the bonds, or 60.94%, and 37,360 against, or 39.06%. All 139 participating precincts had reported in the snapshot updated at 12:37 a.m. Wednesday.
The results remain unofficial until provisional ballots and cure affidavits are reviewed and the county canvassing board certifies the election. The numbers may change during that process.
The Safe and Ready Miami question asked voters to authorize general obligation bonds for police and fire facilities. The ballot describes renovations, modernization and new construction for fire and paramedic facilities, along with a public safety headquarters for police and first responders.
The bonds would be payable from ad valorem property taxes. The ballot specified no increase to the current capital-projects debt millage rate of 0.5935 and required an independent annual audit. Keeping that rate unchanged does not mean the bonds carry no cost to taxpayers.
The vote concerns authority to issue bonds; it does not itself establish that bonds have been sold, contracts awarded or construction started. The ballot question does not set a construction schedule for individual facilities.
A separate charter amendment to establish a permanent advisory general obligation bond oversight committee also led in the preliminary count. It received 65,503 yes votes, or 71.44%, and 26,185 no votes, or 28.56%.
That committee would monitor and publicly report the status, cost, timetable and remaining or available funds for active city capital projects financed with general obligation bonds, according to the ballot. The committee question was separate from the $450 million authorization.
